Method of making storage-battery electrodes.



- HM c. unseen, or NEWARK, NEW was.

airmen 0! name STORAGE-BATTERY ELECTRODES.

No Brawler.

Specification 0: Letters Patent.

uman fled April 11,1910. Serial in. 554,710.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913,

To all whom it may concern,-

Be it known that I, HARRY C. HUBBELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in ll Iethods of MakingStorage-Battery Electrodes, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an improved method of making orproducing a storage battery electrode, and the main object is to providesuch an electrode of simple construction, but efiicient and durable.

In carrying out my invention, the following steps are preferablyemployed: I first take a mixture of powdered metallic nickel or cobalt,or both, and from such powdered material is produced, in the mannerhereinafter-specified, filaments, threads or fibers, after which each ofthe said filaments or threads are electrolytically coated "with metallicnickel or cobalt or both. In order to obtain the powdered metallicnickel or cobalt it has been discovered, that if a solution, such as thechlorid of nickel or cobalt be electrolyzed in a vessel holding at thebottom thereof considerable mercury and a suspended anode of nickel orcobalt, that the nickel or cobalt deposited on the mercury amalgamatestherewith. Some of the mercury may be removed from the amalgam bypressure, but what is left is distilled off in a retort under properregulation of temperature, leaving a block of nickel or cobalt, as thecase may be, which is very friable, hence easily made into a powder in asuitable mill. The ordinary mortar and pestle may do for smallquantities. If enough of this powdered metallic nickel or cobalt beintimately mixed with the hydroxid of nickel or cobalt, or both, it willmake the mixture, even in the dry condition, a good electricalconductor. This inixture when wet is squirted through a small orificeand deposited in parallel rows on a metal tray, and when dried the trayholding these rows of material may be immersed in a nickel or cobaltplating solution and metallic nickel or cobalt be deposited on theexposed surfaces of the said filaments, fibers or threads.

It will, of c0urse,be undcrstood that the deposit of nickel or cobaltcommences immediately upon the immersion of the plate in said platingsolutions, and the threads, after being dried do not readily break upunder this treatment, if properly handled.

It will be readily perceived that there is a portion of this threadwhich rests against the tray or late, that receives no coating of ,mckelor co alt, thereby permlttin terior of each thread to be subjects toelec the introlytic action when such threads form. active material ofbattery electrode. These threads, filaments or fibers are removed from.the tray then compressed and formed into a matted cake, the said mattedcake is then surrounded by a suitable conducting envelop or container.

It will be understood that, under electrolytic action the powderedmetallic nickel and cobalt becomes active as their respective hydroxids,this being due to their finely divided condition, but while it ispreferable to use this material some other material may be utilizedwhich will be inactive, such as carbon and graphite, and as I dependaltogether upon the deposited metallic casing for proper conductionthrough the mass, such inactive conducting material would beobjectionable after it has performed its office of making the thread aconductor, so that a casing of metallic nickel or cobalt may bedeposited thereupon. Thus the powdered metals having served theirpurpose to make the thread, fiber or filament a conductor, so that afilm of metallic cadmium or nickel may be plated' thereon, they aresubsequently turned into active material by electrolytic action.Furthermore, it will be obvious that, a thread composed entirely ofpowdered metallic nickel or cobalt, with a film or coating of nickel orcobalt deposited thereon may be utilized, but the mixture of theaforesaid powdered metals and their hydroxids is preferable.

It is desired to lay stress on my improved method of obtaining metallicpowdered nickel or cobalt, and forcing a mixture of powdered metallicnickel or powdered me tallic cobalt mixed with their respectivehydroxids, or all four materials in one mixture; forming a threadtherefrom and subsequently plating metallic'nickel or cobalt on theexposed surfaces of each thread wherefrom the final product is made.

Having thus described my invention what I desire to claim and secure byLetters Patent- -1s:

1. The method of making a storage battery electrode, which consists infirst forming a thread-like material from a mixture of powdered nickelor cobalt with their respective hydroxids, then drying such thread likematerial, then depositing a metallic nickel or cobalt coating onportions thereof and finally forming a matted cake therefrom. a

2. The method of making a storage battery electrode, which consists infirst forming athread-like material from a mixture of powdered metallicnickel or cobalt or both, then mixing intimately With hydroxid of nickelor cobalt, then drying such t'hreadlike material, then depositing ametallic nickel or cobalt coating on the exposed sur face of suchthread-like material, then forming this thread-like material into amatted cake, and finally surrounding such cake by a suitableconductingenvelop or container.

3. A storage battery electrode comprising, a matted cake of thread-likematerial, composed .of a mixture of powdered nickel or cobalt With theirrespective hydroxids, having a coating of metallic nickel or cobalt on aportion of the surface of each thread, and

said matted cake being surrounded by a suitable conducting envelop orcontainer.

HARRY C. HUBBELL.

In presence of MAY M. PLYER, Jos. H. BLACKWOOD.

